How to Advertise Your Wholesale Business

by Matt McKay, Demand Media

Wholesale business advertising presents challenges similar to those other businesses face when they sell to their counterparts. Wholesale businesses sell products and services to retail businesses, and must keep a low profile to protect their identity and pricing from retail consumers by using business-to-business advertising and marketing (also called "B2B" or "BtoB"). If consumers are able to purchase goods by posing as business buyers or become aware of wholesale pricing, the wholesaler's credibility could be compromised, losing the faith and business of their retail business customers. Fortunately, there are different methods of advertising to businesses that are not easily found by mainstream consumers.

Step 1

Join business trade associations and organizations. Trade organizations often publish business newsletters, websites and other publications targeted to members that include advertisements for wholesale distributors and other business-to-business companies. Publications are mailed, emailed or subscribed to online; these are where businesses look to purchase wholesale supplies and business services.

Step 2

Use direct mail. Direct mail was the premier medium for business-to-business marketing and advertising before the Internet, and is still a viable and widely used method. Direct mail allows you to target your advertising to likely prospects in the privacy of their office.

Join social media websites and restrict content access to legitimate businesses that subscribe by invitation. Social media sites allow you to reach large numbers of business customers around the world, open dialogs and collect contact information that you'll use to fuel leads for orders and other targeted advertising methods such as direct mail.

Step 4

Create your own company website and restrict content access to legitimate businesses that subscribe by invitation. Although this is similar to social networking sites, your own site allows control over the site design and allows more space to list pertinent information free of social networking site advertisers. You may also use subscribers' information for another form of business-to-business advertising, as noted in step 5.

Step 5

Create an email list. Email is another form of direct mail marketing used by many business-to-business wholesale distributors. Email marketing allows you to send low-cost, timely advertising and company information to prospects and current customers.

Step 6

Use cold-calling and canvassing sales tactics. Cold-calling and canvassing (visiting) are business-to-business advertising and marketing stand-bys that enable you to develop personal connections and relationships that other media lack.

Step 7

Place ads in business magazines and newspapers. Business owners refer to business-to-business publications for business products and services.

Step 8

Integrate all advertising and marketing media into your overall plan. Every successful business relies on multiple media, and so should you. Use social network sites to drive prospects to your website. Subscribers to your website provide the information for direct mail and email campaigns. Cold calls and canvassing can alert prospects to the existence of your website for detailed information and so on.

Tips

Add successful advertising and marketing programs to your business plan, repeat on a timed, regular basis and continually monitor programs and campaigns for results. This allows you to track your efforts and make improvements or modifications if necessary.

Read about business-to-business advertising and apply current marketing ideas and trends, or hire a business consultant or advertising agency for best results.

Warnings

Email prospecting without permission can result in your messages being marked as SPAM. Never email a prospect or group of prospects with advertising or marketing information unless they have given you permission (also called "opting in"). Failure to do so may damage your business credibility.

Keep an advertising log, and don't overload prospects with too much advertising at once. The most effective ad and marketing programs are integrated, well-planned and rolled out within particular time frames. Overdoing advertising can alienate prospects and drain advertising budgets.

About the Author

Matt McKay began his writing career in 1999, writing training programs and articles for a national corporation. His work has appeared in various online publications and materials for private companies. McKay has experience in entrepreneurship, corporate training, human resources, technology and the music business.

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